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Welcome to my
redesigned Web site! It's a new day, so let a man
come in and do the HTML.
In this case, my
site and its visitors are benefitting from the
expert eye and hand of Steve Orkin, the gentleman
responsible for the annual
Drum Fantasy Camp as well as much of the
marketing savvy associated with messrs. Steve Smith,
Tommy Igoe, and Dave Weckl.
It's a new year
and a new era, so let a man come in and do the smart
thing: I'm reaching out, I'm blogging, and I hope
I'll have enough good words and sounds and images to
keep you interested, entertained and maybe even
enlightened. Please bookmark this site and come back
often!
A new age...
A new age
indeed. I'm typing and sending this while flying
from Los Angeles to New York by way of WiFi service
on United's p.s. flight #84. Turbulence aside, this
is the good life.
And, by "new
year," I mean the new school year. Just a few
weeks into Fall semester at the University of
Southern California and we are enjoying an expanded drumset proficiency program. That's
right:
University students can opt to study the drums
instead of medieval German literature!
I am the
Director of Drumset Studies at USC's Thornton School
of Music. In addition to coaching the school's
premier combo and teaching private students, I
created the curriculum for the very popular "drumset
proficiency" course at the school.
 We're the first
major university to require proficiency on the kit
as part of a degree program. We expect the overall
level of musicianship to increase dramatically as a
result of this.
I'm grateful for
this opportunity ~ thanks to USC and the Roland
Corporation. Just what the world needs: more
drummers! Seriously, though: the more that any
musician understands rhythm, the better a musician
they'll be.
Drumming,
ultimately, is not so much about the notes as it is
the space between the notes.
The Roland Drum
Lab allows simultaneous instruction and practice
time for multiple students. At USC, we're currently
using an 8-student setup for each class. The
combination of the easily playable, sonically
rewarding (TD-9) V-Drum sets with the teacher
intercom system along with a well-planned curriculum
has created an educational powerhouse.
While
currently being utilized for university-aged
students, this system could and should be employed
at such educational venues as music camps, grade
schools, high schools, and adult learning centers, etc.
The Roland Drum Lab bravely paves the way toward a
new music education standard and horizon. And the
students at USC love the class.
Meanwhile, my private (acoustic drumset) students
are all making their Professor very proud. Their
interest, passion and hard work inspires me to
practice and keep moving onward.
 Toward that end, my touring and recording schedule
seem as busy as ever. In this day and age, we can
only be grateful if we're working, especially if
we're doing what we love to do. The life lived in
music is a blessed life.
Since the Drum Fantasy Camp, in August, and the
beginning of the school year, there has been much
activity in my musical life. I have been playing the music of
Gil Evans and Miles Davis with such musicians as
Christian McBride, Terence Blanchard, Nicholas
Payton, Vince Mendoza and Jimmy Cobb at the
Hollywood Bowl - a real thrill.
Other gigs have
been at LA jazz
clubs Vitello's, Vibrato and Charlie O's, plus the
Monterey Jazz Festival, Billboard Live in Osaka and
Tokyo, Japan with Eliane Elias and Marc Johnson,
France with harpist Isabelle Olivier, Poland with
guitarist Nguyen Le, the Netherlands (master classes
at the conservatories in Rotterdam and Amsterdam)
with saxophonist Toon Roos, London with bassist
Janek Wizdala, guitarist Wayne Kranz and keyboard
player Gary Husband; a master class at the Royal
Academy of Music, followed by one at the Sibelius
Academy in Helsinki plus a performance there with
the UMO big band.
And now, I'm
flying to New York to participate in the grand
opening of the new Best Buy store located on Union
Square, courtesy of Zoom and their terrific Q3
video/audio device. Dig the line-up at Best Buy
these next couple of days: Bon Jovi, Anthrax, Lamb of God, and Peter Erskine with
his Friends! Ha!
We'll be updating the site a lot over the next few
weeks - I promise to keep the content current,
informative and fun. And above all else: musical!
Until the next time - good music and good health to
you all. -
Peter Erskine
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